Rotary actuating mechanism for writing instrument

ABSTRACT

THE CLIP BALL IS MANUALLY PRESSED INWARDLY TO CONTACT A PAIR OF CRANK ARMS THAT STRADDLE A CARTRIDGE AND ROTATE TO PRESS AGAINST A SHOULDER OF THE CARTRIDGE TO EXTEND THE WRITING TIP. AS COMPRESSION SRPING NORMALLY RETRACTS THE WRITING TIP WITHIN THE BARREL. THE CLIP IS NOT ONLY HINGED TO THE BARREL BUT ALSO SLIDES SO THAT THE CLIP BALL CAN BE MOVED OUT OF ALIGNMENT WITH THE CRANK ARMS WHEN THE PEN IS NOT IN USE. THIS PROVIDES A SAFETY AGAINST ACCIDENTAL EXTENSION OF THE WRITING TIP.

N. A. ZEPELL Jan. 26,"1'971 ROTARY ACTUATING MECHANISM FOR WRITING INSTRUMENT Filed April 21. 1969.

3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. NATHAN A. ZEPELL BY wha/ CARTRIDGE ATTORNEY 3,558,233 ROTARY CTUATING MECHANISM FOR WRITING INSTRUMENT l 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 N. A. ZEPELL INVIN'IUR.

NATHAN A. ZEPELL Jan; 26, 1971 Filed April v21. 1969 Jan. 26, 1971 N, A, ZEPELL 3,558,233

ROTARY ACTUATING MECHANI-SM FOR WRITING INSTRUMENT Fled'Aprl 21. 1969 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 los l u BY ATORNEY United States Patent O 3,558,233 ROTARY ACTUATING MECHANISM FOR WRITING INSTRUMENT Nathan A. Zepell, 1359 Santa Terisita Drive,

Santa Barbara, Calif. 93105 Filed Apr. 21, 1969, Ser. No. 817,782 Int. Cl. B43k 24/ 04 U.S. Cl. 401--106 10 'Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The clip ball is manually pressed inwardly to contact a pair of crank arms that straddle a cartridge and rotate to press against a shoulder of the cartridge to extend the writing tip. A compression spring normally retracts the writing tip within the barrel. The clip is not only hinged to the barrel but also slides so that the clip ball can be moved out of alignment with the crank arms when the pen is not in use. This provides a safety against accidental extension of the Writing tip.

This invention relates to Writing instruments wherein the ball of the clip is used to extend a retractable writing tip, and has particular reference to a rotary crank arm structure actuated by the clip ball. It is particularly useful for felt point or soft point cartridges.

The soft tip pen is makingy greater and greater inroads in the Writing instrument business. This is because it writes with very little pressure, much less than a ball point pen or a mechanical pencil; it writes continuously and never skips; it makes very legible heavy lines; and it writes at an any angle on the paper and in any rotational position. Many improvements have been made from its rst appearance as a felt marker where the line was very broad, the ink had an unpleasant odor and penetrated the paper, and the ink dried quickly at the tip. Presently the tip is made of a fibrous, porous material, only one millimeter in diameter, and wears very little. The ink has no odor, it doesnt penetrate the paper, has greater opacity, flows on the paper very easily, will write on different surfaces and will not dry at the tip even when the cap has been left off for several months.

There is one serious shortcoming the soft tip pen has which the industry is trying to overcome, but as yet has not succeeded, namely: it must have a cap just as the fountain pen we used many years ago. The sales of the soft tip pen could have multiplied many times if it would retract as the ball point pen does, a feature which made the retractable ball point the leading writing instrument for the last twenty years the world over. Many manufacturers here and abroad have tried to solve this problem by replacing the ball point cartridge with a soft tip cartridge in a retractable ball point pen housing. The pen industry learned quickly this was very unsatisfactory. The reason is that unlike the ball pen where its point must roll along or be rotated on the paper to produce a line, or unlike the mechanical pencil where its point must be rubbed against the paper to produce a line, the soft tip point has an extremely easy ilow characteristic so that the slightest touch at its point with anything porous or brous will allow the ink from the tip to ow out from the tip quickly on the material it touches. Because of this it can be very damaging to leave the pen with its point extended on a desk since anything porous such as paper, a handkerchief, etc., which will touch that wet point will suck the ink out of it and discolor the porous material. The accident is even much faster and more extensive when the user forgets to retract the point before putting it in the pocket or purse and the wet tip touches the cloth of the pocket. But even when one does retract the point,

'icemTr the fact that it is kept in the pocket with its point down- 'wards makes it easy for a thin thread, lint, or cloth of the pocket to reach the point, which is merely recessed in the front of the housing of the instrument. This contact will allow the ink to run from the point by capillary action over the thread or other material to the cloth of the purse or pocket and will cause a leakage almost as bad as if the point were not retracted at all.

It should be noted that the soft tip pen cannot be used like the so-called stick pen which is a ball point pen with no cap and which is used to a great extent in many offices, nor can it be used like a pencil, because of the danger of the wet tip touching any papers or cloth as outlined before. This means retractability and good cover for the point of the soft tip is of prime importance.

A satisfactory soft tip pocket pen should therefore have several characteristics. The point must retract automatically when the user lays it down, and retraction should not be left to the memory of the user. In addition to retraction, the point must be protected in its retracted position from accidental contact with threads, lint, tissue paper, etc., to prevent accidental leakage. Furthermore, the point must not project accidentally. I have devised a pen structure to meet these requirements and employ the clip of the pen as part of the mechanism to project the writing tip during use.

It is, therefore, a general object of the invention to provide an improved soft point pocket pen that is safe and reliable in operation.

Other objects, advantages and features of the invention will be apparent in the following description and claims together with the drawing forming an integral part of this specification in which FIG. 1 is a three dimensional view of the hand of a user holding a pen embodying the invention wherein a finger depresses the clip to extend the writing point;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the pen of FIG. 1 showing all the parts except the writing cartridge;

FIG. 3 is a three dimensional view of a cartridge which is inserted in the assembly of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged three dimensional View of the writing point protector also shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a three dimensional View on an enlarged scale of the double crtnk arm provided particularly in accordance with the invention and also shown in smaller scale in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is an elevation view in full section through a fully assembled pen shown in FIG. 1 with the point extended;

FIG. 7 is an elevation view in full section of the fully assembled pen and similar to FIG. 6 but with the writing point in retracted position, and bottom cap removed;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 but rotated 90 to show a different view of the writing point protector when the cartridge is retracted, and showing in broken out line the point when it is extended;

FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view along the section line IX-IX of FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is a view in full section along the line X-X of FIG. 7;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view along the line XI-XI of FIG. 7;

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary elevation view of part of the cartridge that ts in part of the actuating sleeve in order to mechanically interconnect the cartridge with the mechanism or advancing and retracting the writing point;

FIGS. 13, 14 and 15 are views of a modified form of the invention, FIG. 13 being an elevation view of the upper part of a barrel having a clip secured thereto;

FIG. 14 is a front view of the clip of FIG. 13; and

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary view of the ball portion of the clip contacting the pen barrel to show the locking of the clip in the point retracted position;

FIGS. 16 through 20 show a presently preferred ernbodiment of the invention as manufactured in plastic;

FIG. 16 is an elevation view in full section of the clip end of a plastic pen embodying the invention and showing the cartridge in extended position;

FIG. 17 is a view in full section similar to FIG. 16 but showing the writing point in retracted position;

FIG. 18 is an elevation view of the pen FIGS. 16 and 17 but rotated 90 to show the slots in the barrel;

FIG. 19 is a sectional view along the line XIX-XIX of FIG. 17;

FIG. 20 is a sectional View along the line XX-XX of FIG. 16.

Referring to FIG. 1 there is illustrated a pen 30 embodying the invention which is held in the hand of a user 31 who has depressed a clip 43 on the pen with a finger 33. This causes a cartridge to be projected out of the clip end of the pen so that a writing tip 34 will be available for writing. Release of the clip 43 by the finger 33 will result in the writing point 34 being withdrawn inside the body of the pen 30.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 there is illustrated an exploded view of the pen of FIG. 1. The pen has a two piece barrel formed of a lower section 36 and an upper section 37, both having a frictional grip on a tubular body member 38. The upper barrel 37 has an opening 39 through which the Writing tip 34 of FIG. 1 projects. This upper barrel also has a pair of slots 41 which receive a pair of ears 42 on the upper end of the clip 43. The slots 41 and the ears 42 form part of a hinge joint for the clip 43. Also formed in the upper barrel member 37 are a pair of larger slots 44 provided particularly in accordance with the invention, and these receive a pair of striker plates 46 formed on the lower end of the clip 43. An enlargement on the open end of a clip is usually referred to as a ball because the characteristic structure is spherical or hemispherical. In this case, however, the ball is the pair of striker plates 46 which are parallel.

Referring now to the tubular body member 38 in the center of FIG. 2, it will be noted that it has a pair of parallel slots 47 similar in extent but wider than the two slots 44 in upper barrel member 37. When the upper barrel member 37 is slid over the body member 38, the manufacturer carefully aligns these slots. These slots 47 in the body member are formed by lirst slitting the tubular body 38 at the outside edge of the two slots 47 and bending the material inwardly to form a pair of parallel plates 48 best visualized in FIG. 9. The body member 38 is slotted with a cross slot 49, and this slot acts as a bearing for an axle 51 on a pair of crank arm plates 52 which t within the slots 47. The crank arm pair is shown in more detail in FIG. 5. There it will be noted that at the bottom edge of each crank arm plate 52 there is provided a projection 53 which limits rotation in one direction to keep the crank arm pair from coming out of the barrel member 37.

Referring now to the upper part of the body member 38 of FIG. 2, it will be noted that there is a reduced section 54 and above that another reduced section 56, and above that a tubular bushing section 57. The section 56 is slotted at 58 to provide clearance for the clip ears 42 when the pen is assembled as will be described in more detail later.

Referring now to the part of FIG. 2 between the body member 38 and the upper barrel 37, there is illustrated a tip protector assembly 59 shown in more detail in FIG. 4. In these two figures it will be noted that the diameter of a tubular base 61 is such that a friction fit will take place when it is slipped over the upper reduced section 56 on the body member 38. Likewise the tubular base 61 is slotted at 62 to coincide with the slot 58 on the section 56 lo give the same clearance to the clip ears 42. Formed on the tubular base 61 are a pair of spring fingers 63 each having a semi cylindrical portion 64 to be engaged by part of the cartridge to spread the lingers 63 apart. In the closed position illustrated in FIG. 4, these spring fingers 63 keep lint, threads and other fibres from touching the retracted writing point 34 of the cartridge, and thus make the writing instrument fool proof when it is carried in a purse or pocket or other place where threads, lint and other fibrous materials are encountered.

Referring now to the part of FIG. 2 between the body member 38 and the lower barrel 36, there is illustrated an upper tubular hinge member 66 having an internal flange not shown in that figure, but against which abuts a compression spring 67, the lower end of which fits inside of a tubular cartridge engager 68 which also has an internal flange not shown. Below that is a frusto-conical bushing 69 for guiding the cartridge.

Shown in FIG. 3 is a cartridge 71 having the writing tip 34 and having the usual air vent 72. An upper reduced section 73 fits within the cartridge engager tube 68 and lugs 74 and 75 on the cartridge engage the internal fiange of member 68, as shown in more detail in FIG. 12. The crank arm plates 52 strike the bottom of the cartridge engager -68 to move the cartridge 71 inwardly or outwardly of the pen barrel 37-36.

Referring to FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, there is illustrated the various parts already identified in FIGS. 2 and 3. The upper barrel portion 37 and the lower barrel portion 36 have a frictional engagement with the tubular body member 38. The cartridge 71 has its reduced portion 73 inserted inside the cartridge engager 68, the spring 67, and the hinge tube 66. Referring especially to the hinge tube 66, the internal ange mentioned but not shown in connection with FIG. 2 is there illustrated and identified as 66a. This ange `66a acts as a stop for the upper end of the compression spring 67. The upper edge of the tubular member 66 engages a prong 45 in each of the hinge ears 42 of the clip 43, and these notches and tubular structure act as the hinge for the clip 43. The slots 41 in the upper barrel 37 in which the clip ears 42 project, are longer than the clip ears, and the entire clip 43 can be manually moved downwardly as shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, against the compression of spring 67. As shown best in FIG. 7, when the spring 68 urges the clip in its upward position the striker plates 46 of the clip ball strike the axle 51 of the rotatable crank arms 52, and thus are unable to cause any rotation of the crank arms 52. When the clip 43 is manually pulled downwardly then the striker plates 46 are in the position shown in broken outline in FIG. 7, and can then move inwardly under manual pressure through the slots 44 in the barrel 37 and through the slots 47 in the body member 38. The striker plates 46 thereupon engage the crank arm plates 52 and drive them to the rotational position shown in FIG. 6. The crank arm plates 52 strikes a bottom flange 68a of the cartridge engager 68 and move the entire cartridge 71 upwardly because of the interengagement of the lugs 74 and 75 with this flange. This, accordingly, projects the writing tip 34 as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 1.

The mechanism for inter-connecting the cartridge 71 and the cartridge engager tube 68 is shown best in FIGS. 6 9, 10 and 12. There it will be noted that the inwardly projecting fiange 68a on the cartridge engager 68 has a pair of oppositely disposed notches 76, a pair of downwardly projecting dimples 77, and a pair of slitted downwardly projecting stops 78. Referring particularly to FIG. 12 it will be noted that the smaller upper projections 74 on the cartridge 71 can pass through the notches 76 but that the lower projections 75 are too large to pass through these notches 76, and accordingly, the cartridge stops with these projections 75 abutting the bottom edge of ange 68a. The cartridge 71 is then rotated with respect to the cartridge engager 68 and the projections 74 and 75 are forced past the dimples 77, and projections 75 abutt against the downwardly projecting stops 78. The cartridge is thus locked by this rotary motion against again aligning itself with the notches 76 and is thereby effectively locked to the cartridge engager 68.

Also illustrated in FIG. are the rearward pair of flanges 48 that are similar to the front pair 48 and both pairs act to guide the rotatable crank plates 52 shown best in FIG. 5. Also shown in FIG. 10 is the transverse slot 49 first identified in FIG. 2, which serves as a hinge place or bearing for the axle 51 on the crank plate pair 52. The outer barrel 37 is not transversely slotted in this area, and hence it acts to close the outer extremity of this transverse slot 49, thus keeping the axle positioned on the transverse slot of 49. It will also be noted in FIG. 10 that the outwardly projecting lugs 53 on the crank arm plates 52 strike the inner wall of barrel 37 to limit counter clockwise rotation of the crank arms 52, as viewed in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7.

Illustrated additionally in FIG. 9 is a structure for keeping the cartridge engager 68 from rotating when a user desires to take out one cartridge and substitute a new cartridge. This is the form of projections 79 formed on the outer surface of the cartridge engager 68, and these fit within the left hand pair of guide plates 48, as viewed in FIG. 9.

Illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 at the region of the clip hinge is s structure for giving hinge action to the clip with minimum size of clip. The metal between the hinge slots 41 is bent inwardly at 90 to allow a space between it and the body of clip 43. Thus when the clip of FIG. 6 is manually pressed at the top, the top can move inwardly at this region to permit outward rotation of the ball.

The lint protector mechanism 59 in FIG. 4 is shown also in FIGS. 7 and 8. In the retracted position of the cartridge 71 and its writing tip 34, the spring fingers 63 are closed over the top of the tip 34 in the form of a wedge. Even though this structure is open at the sides, it has proved to be adequate to prevent accidental contact of lint, threads, tissue, etc. that accidentally intrude in the end opening 39.

Referring particularly to FIG. 8, it will be noted that a frustoconical portion 70 of the cartridge 71 engages the semi cylindrical bulges 64 on the lingers `63', and as the cartridge moves upwardly, forces these fingers 63 away from each other until they lie flat against the inside of the barrel 37, as shown in broken outline. An enlarged cylindrical portion 80 of the cartridge keeps these fingers spread as the tip 34 is projected fully, also as shown in broken outline. The spring action of the fingers 63 causes them to return to the touching V-shaped position of FIG. 8 when the cartridge is retracted.

OPERATION: FIGS. 1 THROUGH 12 The user 31 grasps the pen 30, as shown in FIG. 1, and attempts to press the clip 43 inwardly, but is unable to do so' because, as shown in FIG. 7, the striker plates 46 on the lower end of the clip 43 strike against the ayle 51 and no operation results to extend the writing tip 34.

The user must manually slide the clip 43 downwardly in the direction of arrow 50 in FIG. 7, against compression spring 67 (and sleeve 66), and this disposes the striker plates 46 in an area opposite the slots 44 (FIG. 2) in the upper barrel 37 and on the outer end of the striker plates 52. The user then pushes the clip downwardly or inwardly into the pen, as shown in FIG. 1, and this causes clockwise rotation of the crank arm plates 52 as viewed in FIG. 6. The plates 52 in turn engage the inwardly projecting flange 68a on the cartridge engager 68, forcing the cartridge engager upwardly against the compression of spring 67. Lugs 74 formed on the cartridge portion of 73 are in engagement with this flange 68a, and the entire cartridge is thus lifted upwardly, as viewed in FIG. 6- to project the Writing point 34 upwardly, and through the hole 39 in the end of barrel 37. The projected tip 34, which may be a porous or soft tip, is then ready for writing use as shown inv FIG. 1.

When it is desired to retract the writing tip 34 the user merely lifts off his finger pressure on the clip 43 and compression spring 67 then rotates the crank arm plates 52 counter clockwise, as viewed in FIG. 6, and this in turn forces the clip striker plates 46 outwardly of the barrel 37, and the clip assumes its extended position. Simultaneously the compression spring 67 acts against the upper hinge tube 66, the upper end of which presses against the clip notch 45, moving the entire clip 43 upwardly to the position illustrated in FIG. 7. Simultaneously with the retraction of the writing tip 34 the spring fingers 63 close over the retracted tip, as shown in FIG. 8, and the tip 34 is thus protected from lint, threads, or other materials that might accidentally enter through the opening 39 in the end of the barrel 37. The pen is now in a condition to be placed in a purse or any other place where it can be subjected to pressure against the clip 43. The clip 43, as viewed in FIG. 7, will not extend the tip because pressure on the clip is transmitted through the striker plates 46 to the hinge axle 51 and no rotation of the crank arm plates 52 results.

MODIFICATION: FIGS. 13 THROUGH 15 Referring to FIGS. 13 through 15 there is illustrated a 5 pen and barrel and clip wherein the locking action is obtained by misalignment of a clip projection and a notch in the slots which receive the clip ball.

Referring to those figures, a pen barrel 81 has a clip 82 suitably pivoted to it at the upper end 83 of the clip. The ball of the clip may consist of a pair of parallel plates 84 each formed with an outwardly projecting dimple 86. Formed in the barrel 81 are parallel slots 87 which receive the parallel plates 84 of the clip, but in a central area they are notched at 88 to receive the dimples 86. The slots 87 are too narrow to receive the dimples unless they are aligned with the notches 88. The clip 82, accordingly, is locked when it is slid upwardly on the barrel 81, inasmuch as the dimples strike the side of the slots and the parallel plates 84 cannot enter. When the clip 82 is manually slid downwardly to the point where the dimples 86 are aligned with the notches 88, then the plates 84 can enter the slots 87 and actuate a suitable mechanism for extending the tip (not shown) of a cartridge in the fashion shown in the preceding figures.

MODIFICATION MADE OF PLASTIC Referring to FIGS. 16 through 20 there is illustrated a presently preferred embodiment of the invention which is formed of molded plastic material. In these figures the writing tip is shown at the bottom of the figures, but it will be noted that this is the clip end also of the writing instrument, and if the clip is used to hold the pen in a pocket, the writing tip will be at the top of the pen.

Referring first to FIG. 18, it will be noted that a thick walled barrel member 81 has a reduced section 82 over which is frictionally fitted a thin cap member 83. This cap -83 is removed for insertion of the writing cartridge which is not shown in FIG. 18. An intermediate portion of the thick walled barrel 81 has a pair of slots 84 formed through the wall and at the bottom of the slots 84 is a transverse slot 86 which does not penetrate the wall. The outer surface of this portion of the body member 81 has a shallow recess 87 to receive a clip so that the clip can be flush with the outer surface when it is pressed against the barrel 81. The body member 81 has a lower tapered point 88 in which are formed a pair of slots 89 which pass through the wall and which act as part of the hinge and as guides to allow sliding motion for a clip.

Referring now to all of the figures, the thick walled barrel 81 has an internal step 91 against which rests a compression spring 92 which urges a cartridge 93 upwardly. Fitted within the transverse notch 86 is an axle 95 of a double crank arm 94 constructed similarly to that of FIG. 5. The double cranks 94 engage transverse flanges 96 extending from opposite sides of the cartridge 93, and it will be noted, especially in FIG. 19, that this cartridge may be rotated 90J in order to have the flanges 96 pass between the crank arrn plates 94. No particular mechanism is needed to hold the cartridge 93 in this particular rotational position inasmuch as it seems to hold its rotational position during use, but the provision of an outer lip on the top of the flanges 96 helps keep the position.

The clip of FIGS. 16 through 20 is designated by the number 97 and has a pair of parallel projecting ears 98 at its hinge end which project into the slot 89. Notches 99 are formed on these ears 98, and these notches are engaged by a ring 101, which is held in a circular recess 102 which preferably has an overhanging rib 103. Modern plastic molding materials accommodate to such overhangs, and the mold can be withdrawn from the recess 102 without shearing off the rib 103. The effect, therefore, is a snap action on the ring 101 to hold it in the recess 102. The clip is held in this hinge joint on the ring 101 by virtue of the fact that its bottom end abutts against the bottom end of the point slots 89.

Referring now to the upper end of the clip ball in FIGS. 16 through 20, it will be noted that the ball part of the clip is formed with a pair of plates 104 which strike the plates of the crank arm 94 to cause that crank arm to rotate. These plates 104 are aligned with the slots 84 previously described with respect to FIG. 18. The crank arm plates 94 are joined by an axle 95 which is journaled in the cross slot 86. The cross slot 86 may also be provided with an interference overhang 106 shown best in FIG. 17 to hold the axle 95 in its slot 86. Aligned with the through slots 84 in the front of the barrel body 81 are a pair of grooves 107 in the back of the barrel body which receive the crank arm plates 94 especially as they rotate clockwise from the position in FIG. 17 to the position in FIG. 16.

A lock is provided lto hold the clip in its inward position, as shown in FIG. 16, without appreciable manual effort on the part of the user. This lock includes a flat 108 on the bottom of the striker plates 104, and this flat, as shown in FIG. 16, engages the flat upper surface of the crank arms 94. The action of spring 92 urging an upward pressure on the crank arms 94 causes this pressure to be transferred to this flat at the point of engagement, and this acts as a low pressure lock. When the user releases the clip 97 from his manual grasp, the clip stays locked, and the user then presses upon the part of the clip closest to the end of the pen, and this being on the far side of the hinge, rotates the clip to an outward position. The spring 92 now moves the cartridge 93 upwardly to retract it. As shown in FIG. 16 especially the clip 97 fits within the recess 87 of the thick walled barrel 81 so that it forms a smooth contour at the portion of the pen grasped by the user.

OPERATION: FIGS. 16 THROUGH 20 The plastic molded pen of FIGS. 16 through 20 is grasped similarly to the pen of FIG. 1, and the user presses inwardly on the clip 97. This causes the striker plates 104 to engage the crank arm plates 94, as shown in FIG. 17, causing them to rotate clockwise to the position shown in FIG. 16. These crank arm plates 94 engage the outwardly projecting flange 96 on the ctraridge 93 farcing it downwardly so that a writing tip 109 projects for writing, as shown in FIG. 16. In the position shown in FIG. 16, the flat 108 on the bottom edge of `the striker plates 104 engage the flattened upper surface of the crank arms 94, as shown in FIG. 16, and this causes a locking of the plates 94 in the position illustrated with practically no manual pressure. This reduces the muscular effort required to hold the point 109 extended during use. Release of the manual pressure on the clip 97 does not release the lock, and the user pushes on the bottom end of the clip to release it. The ring 101 acts as a hinge for the clip 97 because of the notches 99 in the clip plates 98 engaging the ring 101.

The invention has been described with reference to several embodiments but is not limited to these or any other modification. The appended claims encompass all variations and modifications that fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

DISCUSSION It will be apparent that the sliding clip not only causes projection of the writing tip, but also upon release of the clip ball from the side wall opening, two things result; one, the cartridge spring retracts the cartridge and two, spring action causes the clip to slide to its rest position where the ball is out of contact with the side wall opening. In this rest position, the clip ball bears against the pen barrel and accidental forces acting on the clip transverse to the barrel will not extend the tip. Thus this movement of the clip to its rest position acts as a safety against accidental projection of the writing tip.

It will be noted with respect to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 through 12 that the spring 67 serves the double function of retracting the cartridge 71 so that the tip 34 is within the barriel 37, and also at the same time urges the clip 43 toward the tip opening 39 so that the ball plates 46 are misaligned (not opposite) the sidewall slots 44 and hence cannot actuate the cartride. The spring 67 is thus a common factor in this double safety action of the pen.

The rotatable crank arm plates 52 and 94 are located at the side of the cartridge. They rotate in a plane that can be described as parallel to a radius from the cartridge. But actuation of these plates is based upon a new type of clip ball, namely, one that can reach inside the pen barrel to strike and thereby rotate the crank plates. This is accomplished by making the clip ball in the form of plates, also preferably parallel to a radius from the barrel. These plates reach inside at the side of the cartridge. A conventional solid ball of a clip could not achieve sufcient rotation of crank arms to be useful.

The invention makes double use of the clip; not only does it serve its normal clip function of holding the pen in a pocket, but it actuates the extending of the writing tip. A separate mechanism for extension is thus avoided. The user merely holds the pen in his fingers and slides the clip longitudinally with his thumb to extend the tip, and then grasps it in the writing position shown in FIG. l. Alternatively, the user grasps the pen in his fingers for writing as shown in FIG. 1, and then slides the clip with his fingers.

The invention has been described with reference to several embodiments but is not limited to these or any other modification. The appended claims encompass all variations and modifications that fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A writing instrument having a clip adapted to be grasped at the clip for use comprising:

' (a) a barrel having an opening in one end and a sidewall opening adjacent that end;

(b) a cartridge disposed within the barrel and having a writing tip and reciprocable within the barrel to selectively project the writing tip through the end opening of the barrel and to retract the writing tip within the barrel and extending past the sidewall opening;

(c) a clip having a ball and mounted on the barrel for movement of the clip ball toward and away from the barrel and located to dispose the clip ball opposite the sidewall opening and movable into the barrel at one side of the cartridge;

(d) a crank located entirely within the barrel adjacent the sidewall opening mounted on a pivot within and at one side of the barrel for rotation in a plane alongside the cartridge, one arm of the crank being engageable by and rotataable by the clip ball upon movement of the clip ball into the barrel through the sidewall opening, and the lengths of the arms of the crank being less than the inside diameter of the barrel so that the crank may rotate through a large angle; and

(e) tneans interengaging the other crankya'rm and the cartridge to extend the writing tip through the end opening when the clip ball is pressed intothe sidewall opening and contacts said one crank arm to rotate theA crank, so that a user can press the clip while holding the instrument to extend the writing tip.

2. Awriting instrument as defined in claim 1 wherein the mounting of the clip t the barrel permits a second type of manual movement of the clip to misalign the clip ball and side wall opening to act as a lock to prevent accidentalprojection of the writing tip through the barrel end opening.

3. A writing instrument as defined in claim 1 wherein:

(f) the clip is mounted on the barrel with a limited longitudinal movement so that at one "limit the clip ball is opposite the side wall opening and at the other limit it is not opposite the sidewall opening; and

(g) aispring interconnects the clip and the cartridge to normally urge the cartridge to a tip retracted position andi to normally urge the clip to a ball misaligned position.

4. A writing instrument as defined in claim 1 wherein: the crank arm is double and joined by a common axle, and the arms are disposed on opposite sides ofthe cartridge; and the clip ball comprises a pair of striker plates so that one engage each crank arm.

5. A writing instrument as deiined in claim 1 wherein the clip is hinged to the barrel by a pair of clip ears passing through slots in the barrel and a ring inside the barrel engages notches in the ears to form the hinge joint.

6. A writing instrument as dened in claim 5 wherein the ring is held in place by resilient barrel portions that give a snap action upon inserting the ring.

7. A writing instrument as defined in claim 1 wherein the means interconnecting the cartridge and the crank arm comprises lugs on the cartridge, and a tubular cartridge engager having an internal ange engages the lugs, and the crank arm engages the tubular cartridge engager.

8. A writing instrument as deiined in claim 7 wherein a spring is provided to urge the cartridge to retracted position, and the cartridge engager tube retains one end of the spring and transmits the spring force to the cartridge.

9. A writing instrument as defined in claim 1 wherein the sidewall opening is a slot with a notch at one portion, the clip slides longitudinally of the barrel and has a projection that its in the notch, said clip being movable to misalign the ball plate projection and the notch to act as a safety against accidental projection of the writing tip.

10. A writing instrument as defined in claim 6 wherein a spring interconnects the cartridge and barrel to hold the cartridge normally in a retracted position, and the crank arm and clip ball overcome this spring to project the writing tip.

References Cited l UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,111,767 3/1938` Gimonet 401-59 3,146,758 9/ 1964 Zepell 401-104X 3,181,507 5/ 1965 lDannebaum 401-104X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,307,934 9/ 1962 France 401-104 LAWRENCE CHARLES, Primary Examiner ggggo UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,558,233 Dated January 26, 1971 Inventor(s) Nathan A. ZEPELL It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that saidy Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Inventor' s address: "Terista" should be Teresita-- Column l: Line 34, after "at" delete "an" Column 2: Line 44, "crtnk" should be crank Column 4: Line 53, after 52 "strikes" should be strke Column 5: Line 56, "ayle" should be axle- Column 7: Line L 9, "slot"y should be slots-- Lne '60, "ctraridge" should be "cartridge-- Line 60, "farcing should be forcing-- Column 8: Line 22, "cartride" should be cartridge Line 53, after "clip" insert end Line 68, after "opening" insert and-- Line 7l, "rotataable" should be "rotatable-- Column 9: 'Line 25, after "one" insert "can-- Column lO: Line l, after "wherein" insert signed and sealed this 3rd day of August 1971.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M .FLETCHER, JR WILLIAM E SCHUYLER Attesting Officer Commissioner of Pate 

